You’ll need to glaze your crucible before you melt any metal in it. This ensures that your metal doesn’t stick to the ceramic bowl.

Pour around 50-100ml of flux or methylated spirits into your crucible. Allow this to stand and get absorbed into crucible.

Gently warm the crucible with your torch or in a kiln set to around 1500˚F (816˚C), until the ceramic is red hot.

Remove the crucible from the heat, and sprinkle a generous coating of borax or powdered casting flux on the inside of the bowl.

You don’t want flux on the outside of the crucible, as it will stick to things when the crucible heats up, but be sure to coat the pouring spout(s). As the powder warms, it will bubble and enlarge slightly.

Heat the crucible again with the torch or kiln; this will melt the flux into the ceramic crucible.

Continue until there’s a glassy coating on the inside of the crucible.

Allow the crucible to air-cool. Now you’re now ready to melt metal!

TIP : Don’t forget sprinkle some borax which will help keep the impurities out of the metal!